Crime analyst a worthwile addition to RCMP detachment

RCMP Inspector Lyle Gelinas said he is pleased with the crime analyst’s contribution to Campbell River’s detachment.

“Our crime analyst is a very beneficial addition to the detachment support base,” wrote Gelinas in the RCMP quarterly report to city council last week.

“The efforts of the crime analyst, by researching and organizing information then passing it on to the members to investigate, has prompted some offenders to relocate from Campbell River, while others have gone to jail.”

Hired in May, the crime analyst works to track and organize information on prolific offenders and crime hot spots in the city among other things.

The report included examples of priority offender weekly bulletins the analyst creates to give police a snapshot of things like bail conditions for individuals to help police monitor these people more easily. Gilenas said the weekly bulletins are “packed with information on the noted suspects.”

“He also tracks through his contacts up and down the Island and on the mainland,” said Gelinas. “He tracks our priority offenders who may be travelling, or offenders that come from somewhere else that are travelling criminals.”

The analyst also creates crime maps which show the type and location of crimes in Campbell River to provide police with a “quick visual” of crimes committed.

Gelinas said the addition to the detachment has enabled police to better track priority offenders because the crime analyst helps with information organization.

“It helps in coordinating these packages so that the members have more accurate information available to them,” said Gelinas. “It helps in time management.”

The Citizens on Patrol were also mentioned in the report; Gelinas called them the “silent partners” of the detachment, and pointed out that the group volunteered 975 hours in this quarter, (July to September), assisting with community events, neighbourhood patrols and Child Find, among other things.

Gelinas noted the Restorative Justice Program had an increase in referrals this quarter, with 12 forums diverting offenders from the court system. He said that the agreements were all completed on time, and that 97 per cent of participants were “very satisfied” with their experiences.